Monthly Archives: September 2015

The Final Countdown

We have just days left in our smoothie challenge **single tear**. Who’s meeting me for coffee next week **shrieks of joy**!? I had a blast with this challenge and I hope you did too. I’d love to hear a recap from any involved parties.

Who’s with me on the coffee next week?

The next challenge is also two-fold

Having a slight touch of OCD, I’ve already been brainstorming what to do next. As you may know, I write meal plans for StrongCalmSexy members each month. I try to keep it new and fresh and I test all of the recipes (obviously). My recipes are either mine or modified from an inspired recipe to make it fit within the parameters of what I think is best. So, what I’ve decided to do should be a productive challenge. Join me if you’d like.

Part 1

Over the years I’ve accumulated a tower of cookbooks that basically act as cabinet anchors. I’ve used very few of them very few times with the exception of a few of them (whew…that’s a lot of fews).

I intend to help these cookbooks fulfill there destiny. I’m going to tackle them one at a time, making 5 recipes from each cookbook before deciding whether I want to keep it or pass it on for someone else to enjoy.

(This is my most used cookbook. I lived by it for about a year)

I’m hoping this will encourage me to try some new recipes and become a better chef. I’m also doing this to encourage my kids to be a little more open minded about nutrition.

(Aaaaand, this comes from our Harry Potter cookbook. That should be an interesting week)

So, if you want to join me for this half of the challenge, then dust off your old cookbooks and try some new recipes with me. I’ll be posting about my favorites and how to clean them up (if necessary). If you’re following the Strong Calm Sexy meal plan, use this challenge as a way to share your cooking and prepping experiences (of the plan) with the rest of us. If you have a favorite recipe from the plan, feel free to share that on our social media pages too!

Part 2 (this is where we move)

The next thing I want to challenge you with, is a fitness challenge. In September we really loaded up on nutrients. For the month of October, let’s mooooooove! I’m challenging all who will accept to do an 8 Minute Meltdown a day (5 days per week). You can add the 8 Minute Meltdown to what you already do so that it’s “extra” activity. You can decide the time of day that works best for you and you can pick the 2 rest days per week. The goal is to find a way to make time for 8 minutes of fitness where you thought you had none.

You can find the workouts on the home page of StrongCalmSexy.com under the 8 Minute Meltdown tab. I will also be adding new ones and sharing the one’s we already have, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them!

If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr you can share the 8 Minute Meltdown that you completed and your feedback as to how you feel. You can also participate privately. There is no pressure to post, it’s just makes it more fun for me ;)!

Invite Your Friends!

Last month you all did a great job motivating and inspiring your friends. Let’s keep the momentum going! Invite your friends and family!

P.S. Keep the juice flowing. You don’t have to stop drinking those green drinks!

Why Bother?

We are three weeks into our Strong Calm Smoothie: Nutrition Overload challenge. Your pics and post are the best! I’m beaming because I’ve had so much positive feedback. I’ve also seen some of your friends comments on your posts. Some encouraging and interested and others quite the opposite. I’m not surprised that there are some nay sayers. I’ve even seen comments of people asking “Why would you do this?” or “Do you hate yourself?”. I understand that some of this is just fun banter, but it is very true that many believe that eating healthy, nutrient dense foods is a hassle, or disgusting, or won’t yield results. I’m sure I can’t change the mind of everyone. Even if that’s the case, I’ll go ahead and preach, because I know how rewarding and powerful eating real food and challenging your body physically is.

#StrongCalmSelfie

With our green drink challenge, it’s not about losing weight. It’s not about vanity (although you may experience some weight loss, and you’ll certainly be radiant). This is about you. Nurturing you, inside and out. As you wake up in the morning and chop your fresh veggies and sip on your magic health potion, you’re nurturing your body. Even more than that, you’re nurturing your spirit. As you take the time in the morning to treat yourself to a glass of green goodness, you are reminding yourself of the following truths:

You deserve to be nurtured

You deserve to be loved

You deserve to be healthy

You deserve to have joy

You deserve to feel amazing

When you you wake up and start your day with all of these vitamins and minerals, you’re setting the tone for your day. Not only are you reminding your subconscious that you are worth the effort, you are actually loading your body with something that supports your ultimate performance. Get ready to take on the world. When you’re good to you, you’re good to everyone else too <3

Glow With It

Here is another smoothie that you can incorporate into your green drink rotation:

1 Cup Almond or Cashew milk (homemade is best, but do what you have time for 🙂

1 cup strawberries

The zest of 1 small lemon plus a squeeze of the juice

1 small peeled orange

1/2 banana (or 1/2 cup mango)

2 cups kale leaves

1 TBSP Chia Seeds

Blend well & enjoy the benefits!

Did You Ditch the Java?

I’m seriously missing my late morning coffee. Not the caffeine, but the taste and the decadence of a good morning Joe. I’ve been testing plenty of alternatives and have discovered some herbal teas that I am loving. In addition to tea, I’ve been blending up some superfood concoctions that have been interesting, to say the least.

In a blog post from Move Nourish Believe, they shared 3 alternatives to coffee. I made all three of them and wanted to share my unsolicited opinion with you 😉

You can click on the link above for the recipes. I’ll just give a brief opinion below with the coordinating number.

1.) Pretty much just tastes like a matcha latte, which I love! But don’t really feel the need to add tahini and sesame seeds if it you can’t taste the difference. While they do add a nutritional boost, I’d rather make a side of homemade hummus and eat the extra ingredients/calories.

2.) This one was my absolute favorite. It had an interesting and bold flavor. It was a beautiful color (a feast for my eyes!). It was the lowest in calories of the 3 and it was absolutely amazing both iced and hot. I will make it over and over and over.

3) This was the most decadent. Highest in calorie, but packed with nutrition. Good for gut health, skin, hair nails and everything in-between. It was dessert-like and nice to sip slowly in lieu of breakfast. I will make it again, but probably not on the regular. I will use these ingredients in plenty of other dishes though, so it was worth the investment.

Because You Can

Don’t forget to move your body. Lift, walk, run, stretch dance, etc. At 35, I continue to get stronger and more flexible than I was 10-15 years ago. I can do more push-ups & pull-ups. I can run longer distances. I can help you move your furniture 😉 And believe it or not, after doing yoga for 17 years, I’m actually having breakthroughs on and off the mat that I can attribute to a consistent practice. I promise you this is not my ego talking. I just want you to know that no matter how old you are or what level of fitness you’re at, you can improve. You can feel better & stronger. That feeling of fitness is so empowering, just watch it overflow into all areas of your life.

The Ball is in Your Court

With the U.S. Open here, we’re seeing some of the most elite athletes strutting their physiques across the court. If you’re feeling inspired to up the ante on your own tennis game, or you just want to look like a tennis player, this 8 Minute Meltdown is for you. This will challenge your stability, tone your legs, tighten your core and put some extra power in your serve 😉

I love hearing from you!

Get things movings…all the things 🙂

Want to use that smoothie for good and not evil? Try this 8 Minute Meltdown designed to target the glutes, thighs and low belly. You just need a step that’s about knee high (adjust height to support your current level).

We’re one week into our September Challenge! Woo! Congratulations for making it this far. Has it been difficult? What has challenged you the most?

If you’re loving the plan and want to repeat the same recipes, go for it! If you want a little more variety, here is another recipe you can incorporate. You’ll make this one in the blender, but it’s not quite as thick as a smoothie. It’s kind of in between a smoothie and a juice.

Ingredients:

1 small green apple

2 big handfuls spinach

1/2 peeled lime

1/2 cup coconut water (no sugar added)

1 TBSP milled flaxseed

1/2 frozen banana OR 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks

a few more ice cubes

This smoothie is about 220 calories. Not as heavy as some of the others smoothies we’ve had, but a high fiber content, so it should still be pretty filing. If you want to add 5-6oz of greek yogurt to it that would give it some protein, make it creamier and bulk up the calorie count to a little over 300.

Are you a green eyed monster?

Did you give up coffee for this challenge? I know at least a few of you took part in the no-coffee-part for the month of September with me. How is it going? Was it harder or easier than you though it would be? I really miss it. But, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. It’s kind of nice knowing that I can leave the house without having it and the world won’t implode. Nonetheless, October 1st is a Thursday and a quad cappuccino from Stauff’s will be had!

Get to the Core

After your green drink has had some time to digest, try this 4 minute plank series to start the day strong 🙂